Chelsea have been told they must be prepared to make a huge offer if they want to sign the Brazil international Oscar. The European champions have approached Internacional over the 20-year-old midfielder and are reportedly preparing a £25m bid.

However, while the Internacional president, Giovanni Luigi, insists the club are willing to sell, he maintains that the price must be right.

"I want the transfer of Oscar to be the biggest transfer deal ever in Brazilian football," Luigi said. "And the Chelsea offer isn't that far from that. Last year, however, Tottenham made two offers for Leandro Damião. We kept him and he was very important. Oscar's situation is similar.

"If we get offers for Oscar that match our expectations, we'll negotiate. But they have to be of the value that mean significant resources for Internacional. But those values would be the biggest negotiation in Internacional's history."

Meanwhile, Florent Malouda's potential move from Chelsea to Brazil might be scuppered by the French midfielder's wage demands. The Santos head coach, Muricy Ramalho, is concerned by the financial outlay needed to sign Malouda, who has slipped down the pecking order at Chelsea.

"Malouda was offered to us. He's a very interesting player, but you get scared when they tell you their demands," Ramalho said. "They say they are in crisis in Europe, but they spend so much money on transfers there.

"He was offered to us, but when you think about his wages, it gets hard. He is a very good player, an old-school midfielder who can hold the ball and set the tone in attack."